Gay Marriage’s Legal Ripples
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision earlier this summer upholding same-sex marriage seems simple enough, but the ruling prompts a wave of new legal questions. Those questions could keep lawyers busy for some time. We talk about some of those questions in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
First Charter Schools Open In Mississippi; Alabama Charters Could Come Soon
States across the U-S have increasingly been turning to charter schools in an effort to bolster struggling public school systems. Two of the most recent states to adopt the controversial form of education are Mississippi and Alabama. As part of a Southern Education Desk series examining charter schools in the South, we turn to Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Paul Boger for a report on how those states are adopting to the alternative form of public education.
Paying For Charter Schools In The South
Florida has about 650 charter schools. They are part of school districts but are privately managed and largely free of many of the rules governing traditional public schools. But as enrollment in charters has increased, so has the financial cost. WFSU’s Lynn Hatter reports for the Southern Education Desk that Tennessee and Georgia are also struggling to find ways to support their charter schools.
More News
A Tale of Two Pay Raises
Some workers in Birmingham will see their paychecks rise in the coming years. The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday passed a minimum wage ordinance for the city, meaning the minimum wage will rise incrementally to $10.10 an hour by July 2017. While advocates for the poor welcome that news, it comes with a dose of deceit according to Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Alabama Media Group Cuts Staff in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Moblie
The Alabama Media Group is laying off at least 15 people total at its three main hubs in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile.
The company announced the cutbacks Tuesday.
Getting Parent Buy-In For A New Alternative
The big push for charter schools in Louisiana started after Hurricane Katrina. The state’s Recovery School District took over most of the public schools in New Orleans, and quickly issued charters. The organization has moved on to Baton Rouge, but, without a hurricane scattering teachers and students, charters really have to get parents to buy into the alternative they’re selling.
NPR News
Birmingham City Council Approves Minimum Wage Increase To $10.10
The Birmingham City Council has passed an ordinance to increase minimum wage in the city to $10.10-an-hour by July 2017. The council passed the measure during a meeting Tuesday. Kelsey Stein of AL.com reports that the city's legal department is reviewing the ordinance. Were it to take effect, the increase is believed to be the first of its kind in the Southeast U.S. Stein talked to WBHM's Michael Krall about today's meeting.
A Window On Other Arenas: Sports, Race, And More With UAB Sociologist Adrienne Milner
You don’t have to be a scholar to know that African-Americans are heavily represented in contact sports like football and basketball, but underrepresented in “lifetime sports” like tennis or golf. Some casual observers have come up with relatively simple explanations for that phenomenon. But a University of Alabama at Birmingham sociologist and author who studies […]
Lessons For New Orleans
Charter schools are changing American education. Some say for the better, some say the worse. This week the Southern Education Desk looks at the charter school movement throughout the south. We start in New Orleans, the testing ground for the movement.
U.S. Steel Announces Closure of Fairfield Works
In Birmingham, it’s the end of an era. The city was founded and fueled by the steel industry. But U.S. Steel announced Monday it would close its Fairfield Works mill just west of the city leaving about 1,100 workers without jobs. It’s a noteworthy passing for a city that still identifies with an industry now found mostly in historic pictures.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Talks About Fixing No Child Left Behind Law
Sherrel Wheeler Stewart talks with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan about education and the hurdles in passing the law this year.
Governor Robert Bentley Endorses Ohio Governor John Kasich
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley publicly endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich for the Republican Presidential nomination this morning at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham.
